Gallup just released a poll that reveals more and more Americans are shifting in ideological attitudes, and identifying themselves as ‘liberals’ in regard to social and economic issues. At the same time, fewer Americans are describing themselves as ‘conservatives.’

“The trend suggests that ideological attitudes in the country may be shifting. Social liberalism has grown by six points since 2001 and now attracts half of rank-and-file Democrats and Democratic leaners.”

This new survey shows changes in Americans’ ideology: economic conservatism is at a five-year low, while social liberalism has registered its highest support…

They go on to state the following:

“the percentage of Americans describing their social views as ‘liberal’ or ‘very liberal’ has achieved a new peak of 30% — in line with Gallup’s recent finding that Americans are more accepting on a number of moral issues. Thirty-five percent of Americans say they are conservative or very conservative on social issues and 32% self-identify as socially moderate.”

What Politicians Believe About Their Constituents: (Asymmetric Misperceptions and Prospects for Constituency Control)

The study shows conservative politicians believe their ‘followers’ are more conservative than they actually are.

“There is a striking conservative bias in politicians’ perceptions, particularly among conservatives: conservative politicians systematically believe their constituents are more conservative than they actually are by more than 20 percentage points on average, and liberal politicians also typically overestimate their constituents’ conservatism by several percentage points.

“Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 89% of Republican self-identifiers nationwide in 2012, while accounting for 70% of independents and 60% of Democrats,” Gallup reports. “On the other hand, relatively few Hispanics and blacks identified as Republicans, while both of these groups represented a significantly higher percentage of independents and Democrats nationwide.”

Gallup adds:

“The ability of the Republican Party to make inroads among nonwhites has been much discussed in recent months, particularly the GOP’s efforts to improve on the 13% allegiance that Gallup data show it obtains from Hispanics.”

So where does this all leave us? It leaves us looking damn good for the 2014 mid-term elections, it does. If Democrats don’t do anything silly, and GOP continues to dig its grave by introducing bills against the reproductive rights of women, opposing healthcare, even the simplest gun safety, and the environment, we should have a clear shot. You’d think Republicans would have learned after 2012 elections. I’m glad they didn’t — and hope they stay ignorant. Many liberals are ready for a Democratic majority in Congress, so we can get the job(s) done.

(The author, Leslie Salzillo, is a writer, pro-choice activist, political commentator, and visual artist. She writes diaries in Daily Kos and began contributing to AddictingInfo.org in March of 2013)